by Jens Peters

The little island of
Danjugan is about 125 km south-west of Bacolod,
nine km north of Sipalay and three km west of Bulata. It's 1½ km long
and 500m across at its widest point, hilly and covered with a thick
blanket of green. Seven different kinds of mangrove grow in lagoons
here. On the south-east coast you can find deserted sandy bays, and on
the west coast beautiful white beaches which are visited by hawksbill
turtles during egg-laying season. Several caves provide shelter and
roosting places for lively swarms of bats, and the rain forest echoes
exotically to the cries of about 50 species of bird, including white
breasted sea eagles, grey headed fishing eagles, herons and kingfishers
as well as providing a welcome rest stop for many migratory birds. In
2000 the island and the waters surrounding it were designated a nature
reserve (Danjugan Island Marine Reserve and Sanctuaries - DIMRS), but
there was a tortuous build-up to this, to say the least:

In the mid-1980s, the gold and copper mines run by the Maricalum Mining
Corporation east of Sipalay began to spiral deeper and deeper downwards
into financial difficulties. As a result, many of the miners who had
been made redundant were forced to change their job and become
fishermen. However, in their desperate struggle to make a living, the
thoughtless use of dynamite and cyanide in their fishing caused
enormous damage to the underwater world round the coast. Danjugan
Island, surrounded by coral and with an extensive reef to the west of
the island, was especially badly hit by this wanton destruction.

Active conservationists from Bacolod sounded the alarm and managed to
bring about the end of these illegal fishing practices. With the
financial support of the British World Wide Land Conservation Trust
(WWLCT) they bought the island in 1994 and handed it over to the
Philippine Reef and Rainforest Conservation Foundation, Inc (PRRCFI),
which had been set up to save Danjugan Island. Their first move was to
build a camp for caretakers and ecologists on this precious and
endangered natural haven for wildlife. One year later, the London-based
company Coral Cay Conservation Ltd (CCC) allied itself with this
exemplary project for the effective protection of the environment and
ever since then has sent volunteers to research and conduct surveys of
the local marine life. Keenly interested Philippine students are also
often guests at the camp to learn what they can about the ecosystem of
this tropical island in workshops lasting several days. As there is
only room for 20 visitors, it's necessary to register first with the
PRRCFI in Bacolod; Tel. (034) 4411658, @. An overnight stay at the camp
costs P2556, including meals. Day visitors pay P1050.